El Duende by Monte & Dinastía Torres

Buying this record will directly support the Dinastía Torres family who live in Guapi, Colombia, a very isolated place in the Pacific coast of Colombia, full of sociopolitical conflicts due to drug trafficking , ilegal and legal gold mining and no government presence. Life is full of daily struggles and communities still maintain their strong culture where music is one of the highlights.

Go watch the short film "El Duende" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaWIKOuyv6g

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"El Duende" traces the history of the marimba instrument on Colombia's Pacific Coast. The instrument is built, instructed and played in the jungle. The film looks at the myth of the duende, a mysterious being somewhere between an elf and a demon, who teaches locals how to assemble the marimba and play it.

"El Duende" explores the story of the Dinastía Torres, a family dynasty of marimba players with ancestral roots in Africa, who are among the last bearers of the jungle legend. The soundtrack EP is comprised of 4 new Monte remixes from the Dinastía Torres album 'Los Duendes De La Marimba' which was originally released in 2020.

"El Duende" is the second release in a film series presented by Bomba Estereo. The documentary "Sonic Forest" was released in 2020 in collaboration with the environmental organization Stand for Trees. "Sonic Forest" features Simon's journey from Afro-Colombian communities on the Pacific coast to indigenous communities in the mountains to learn about the forest communities who have united to protect the vast rainforest that connects them, while raising awareness for climate change and biodiversity. The documentary's soundtrack includes the single "Déjame Respirar" featuring the singer Nidia Gongora.

Monte is an ambient electronic project in which Simon furthers his exploration of Colombian nature sounds. Following extensive travel and research, Simón worked to interpret nature sounds into an electronic music language. On the 2020 album 'Mirla,' he explored which animals sound like a high hat, which ones sound like bass drums and which ones sing the melodies. The New Yorker wrote, "Mejía weaves recordings of trickling rivers and choirs of birds into soft charanga melodies and careful synths.... his focus is on the discreet tension and melody that live in the natural world."

Monte es un proyecto musical y visual de Simón Mejía, fundador y beat master de la banda colombiana Bomba Estéreo. Una exploración entre los sonidos de la naturaleza y la música electrónica.

simonmejia.com